Woman wearing exercise crop top kicked out of university gym after refusing to 'cover up'

By Nick Jordan| 2 years ago

Image: Facebook / Sarah Villafañe

A female student has been kicked out of her university’s gym after refusing to 'cover up' while dressed in leggings and a crop top.

Sarah Villafañe, a student at the College of Charleston, claims she was asked to leave the gym after she rebuffed staff's repeated requests for her to 'put her shirt back on'.

Villafañe posted a picture of herself in the crop top and tights to Facebook with an outraged post about her treatment. "I bought this outfit to work out in because it's comfortable. What is the issue? Why can't I work out in this outfit? Is my belly button distracting to the general 85 percent male demographic that your gym serves?" she said. "I'm forced to leave, WHY? Honestly I'm so floored that I just got kicked out for this. Do better College of Charleston."

"We want to reduce skin contact with facility equipment. These rules are applied to both males and females," College of Charleston spokesman Mike Robertson said.

The News channel reported that the gym has a dress code written outside saying: "Athletic attire is to be worn. This includes T-shirts, running shoes, sneakers, shorts, or pants. Footwear must be worn."

Villafañe responded on Facebook saying: "They never made those sanitary concerns clear when they asked me to change. They told me I need 'more coverage' and nothing more. Not to mention, their website has no written dress code anyway."

The Charleston student claimed she had worn the outfit all day including to three classes and during separate conversations with three lecturers. It was only when she started working out that she received any problems.

"When I walked into the gym they asked me to put on a different shirt. Obviously I didn't bring an extra shirt to the gym and wasn't about to wear my flannel while working out. So I just said 'mhm ok' and went about my work out pretty pissed off that they even asked me to change," she said in the Facebook post.

Villafañe later claimed another staff member approached her about the issues before the gym manager asked her to cover up or leave. "He says 'I'm gonna need you to put a shirt on.' Again, I tell them 'I am wearing a shirt'. He says 'I need you to put on a shirt or I'm gonna have to ask you to leave'. I said ‘But I have a shirt on'. He says 'are you gonna put a shirt on?' And I said ‘well if this isn't a shirt... no. I'm not gonna put a shirt on'," she said.